JP2014214798A - Telescopic actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To regulate the radial displacement of a preload spring which energizes a carrier of a planetary gear mechanism of a telescopic actuator.SOLUTION: When a carrier 63 of a planetary gear mechanism 37 of a telescopic actuator is inclined to an axial liner L, a pinion 66 supported to the carrier 63 is not correctly engaged with a ring gear 61 and a sun gear 62, however, since a preload spring 73 which generates a resilience force in the axial line L direction is arranged between a screw feed mechanism 39 and the carrier 63, an inclination is prevented by energizing the carrier 63 in the axial line L direction by the resilience force of the preload spring 73, and vibration and noise can be suppressed. Furthermore, even if the telescopic actuator is bent by receiving a compression reaction force when the telescopic actuator is elongated, and the preload spring 73 is likely displaced in a radial direction, the preload spring 73 is made to stably function by regulating the radial displacement of the preload spring 73 by guide means 71c, and the inclination of the carrier 63 can be surely prevented.

Description

  According to the present invention, a motor, a planetary gear mechanism, and a feed screw mechanism are arranged in series on an axis line of a housing that slidably supports an output rod, and the rotation of the motor is decelerated by the planetary gear mechanism and the carrier. And a telescopic actuator that converts the rotational motion of the carrier into the reciprocating motion of the output rod by the feed screw mechanism.

  In such an expansion / contraction actuator, a plurality of pinions supported by the carrier are engaged with the ring gear and the sun gear without providing a support part for directly supporting the carrier of the planetary gear mechanism so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 discloses a device that indirectly supports a housing in a freely rotatable manner.

  Also, a disc spring (pressurizing spring) is arranged on the outer periphery of the sun gear shaft to which the sun gear is fixed, and the disc spring is biased so as to press the carrier against the side plate portion of the ring gear, thereby pressing the sun gear shaft in the axial direction. A planetary gear mechanism that makes it possible to release the meshing of the pinion and the ring gear by moving the carrier against the elastic force of the disc spring is known from Patent Document 2 below.

JP 2009-173192 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-20644

  By the way, in the planetary gear mechanism described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of pinions supported by a carrier rotatably disposed in a housing mesh with a sun gear fixed to the motor shaft and a ring gear fixed to the housing. The rotation of the sun gear is decelerated and output to the carrier. The carrier is not directly supported by the housing via the bearing, and a plurality of pinions mesh with the ring gear and the sun gear, so that the carrier is indirectly supported by the housing so that the carrier is easily tilted. was there. When the carrier is inclined, the pinion supported by the carrier is inclined with respect to the ring gear or the sun gear, and the meshing state thereof may be deteriorated, which may cause vibration and noise.

  Therefore, as described in Patent Document 2, it is conceivable to prevent the carrier from tilting by urging the carrier with a pressurizing spring arranged on the axis and pressing it against the side plate portion of the ring gear. However, when the output rod of the telescopic actuator is extended and a compressive load is applied to the housing, and the housing bends in an arc shape by the compressive load, the axis of the planetary gear mechanism and the axis of the feed screw mechanism are in a "<" shape. The pressurizing spring located at the intersection of both axes is bent and displaced in the radial direction, and there is a possibility that the urging force that presses the carrier against the side plate portion of the ring gear cannot be exhibited stably.

  Further, since a lateral load is generated in the radial direction of the pressurizing spring due to the vibration G in the vertical direction, the pressurizing load may not be stably applied due to the bending of the pressurizing spring.

  There is a method of further increasing the biasing force of the pressurizing spring in anticipation of the fact that the biasing force of the pressurizing spring becomes unstable in this way, but in this method, the sliding load of the pinion increases, and the motor Power consumption increases and vehicle fuel consumption deteriorates, wear increases due to increased P value of the sliding surface of the pinion, durability decreases, and sliding noise during operation increases There was a problem that led to deterioration of the merchantability of the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to stably apply a biasing force of a pressurizing spring that biases a carrier of a planetary gear mechanism of a telescopic actuator.

  To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the motor, the planetary gear mechanism and the feed screw mechanism are arranged in series on the axis inside the housing which slidably supports the output rod. In the telescopic actuator that decelerates the rotation of the motor by the planetary gear mechanism and outputs it to the carrier, and converts the rotational movement of the carrier into the reciprocating movement of the output rod by the feed screw mechanism, the feed screw mechanism and the A telescopic actuator is proposed, which is provided with a pressurizing spring that is arranged between the carriers and generates a resilient force in the axial direction, and guide means that regulates a radial displacement of the pressurizing spring.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, an elastic coupling that accommodates the pressurizing spring and connects the carrier and the feed screw mechanism is provided. A telescopic actuator is proposed, which is formed of a hollow portion formed in the elastic coupling and extending in the axial direction.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the planetary gear mechanism includes a fixed ring gear, a sun gear connected to the motor, the carrier, A pinion that is rotatably supported by the carrier and meshes with the ring gear and the sun gear, and a fixed annular carrier holding member. A grease is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the carrier holding member and the outer peripheral surface of the carrier. A telescopic actuator is proposed, which is characterized by interposing a gap filled with.

  The first housing 31 and the second housing 32 of the embodiment correspond to the housing of the present invention, and the cylindrical portion 71c of the embodiment corresponds to the guide means of the present invention.

  According to the configuration of claim 1, the telescopic actuator has the motor, the planetary gear mechanism, and the feed screw mechanism arranged in series on the axis inside the housing that slidably supports the output rod, and the rotation of the motor is controlled by the planetary gear. The gear mechanism decelerates and outputs to the carrier, and the rotational motion of the carrier is converted into the reciprocating motion of the output rod by the feed screw mechanism. If the carrier of the planetary gear mechanism is tilted with respect to the axis, the pinion supported by the carrier will not properly mesh with the ring gear or sun gear, causing vibration and noise. However, between the feed screw mechanism and the carrier that rotates synchronously with the feed screw mechanism. Since the pressurizing spring that generates the elastic force in the axial direction is arranged on the base, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the seating surface of the pressurizing spring. As a result, it is possible to suppress wear on the seating surface of the pressurizing spring, and to suppress increase / decrease in the amount of pressurization due to coil tightening / rewinding due to displacement of the seating surface. it can. Further, the carrier is biased in the axial direction by the elastic force of the pressurizing spring, so that the tilt can be prevented and vibration and noise can be suppressed. Further, even if the expansion actuator is bent by a lateral load caused by the vertical vibration G of the vehicle or a compression reaction force when it is extended, the radial displacement of the pressurizing spring is guided even if the compressing spring is displaced in the radial direction. By restricting with the means, the pressurizing spring can function stably and the tilt of the carrier can be surely prevented.

  In this way, since the attitude of the carrier can be stably controlled without increasing the pressurizing load of the pressurizing spring, it is possible to provide a system with good fuel efficiency by suppressing an increase in power consumption of the motor. Further, since the pressurized load does not increase, it is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of wear of the sliding portion of the pinion, and further suppress an increase in the sliding noise, so that it is possible to provide a system with excellent durability and good merchantability.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the elastic coupling for connecting the carrier and the feed screw mechanism is provided, the positional deviation in the radial direction of the planetary gear mechanism and the feed screw mechanism is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic coupling to vibrate. And noise can be reduced. In this way, by placing the pressurizing spring at the center of the elastic coupling, it is possible to apply a pressurizing load to substantially the center of the plurality of pinions, whereby one of the plurality of pinions is connected to the ring gear. Even if it tries to lift from the bottom surface, a restoring moment can be applied to the carrier with another grounded pinion as a fulcrum. Moreover, since the guide means of the pressurizing spring is formed of a hollow portion formed in the elastic coupling that accommodates the pressurizing spring and extending in the axial direction, it is possible to efficiently apply a pressurizing load and stabilize it. In addition to controlling the attitude of the carrier, it is not necessary to provide special guide means, and the increase in the number of parts and costs can be minimized.

  According to the configuration of claim 3, the planetary gear mechanism includes a ring gear, a sun gear, a carrier, a pinion rotatably supported by the carrier and meshing with the ring gear and the sun gear, and a fixed annular carrier holding member. Since the gap filled with grease is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the carrier holding member and the outer peripheral surface of the carrier, the carrier can be centered by the carrier holding member. Since the carrier holding member can prevent the carrier from falling due to its own weight in this way, it is not necessary to increase the urging force of the pressurizing spring to prevent the carrier from falling, and the friction of the sliding portion of the pinion is suppressed. As a result, the power consumption of the motor can be reduced, the wear of the pinion can be reduced to increase the durability, and the sliding sound generated from the sliding portion of the pinion can be reduced to increase the commercial value.

The perspective view of the suspension apparatus of a left rear wheel. (First embodiment) FIG. (First embodiment) The longitudinal cross-sectional view of a toe control actuator. (First embodiment) FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part 4 of FIG. 3. (First embodiment) The exploded perspective view of a planetary gear mechanism and an elastic coupling. (First embodiment) FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. (First embodiment) FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part 7 of FIG. 4. (First embodiment) FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 4. (First embodiment) The schematic diagram which shows the state which the toe control actuator curved. (First embodiment) The schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of a carrier and a carrier holding member. (First embodiment) The figure corresponding to FIG. (Second Embodiment)

First embodiment

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a double wishbone type rear suspension S for a four-wheel steering vehicle includes a knuckle 11 that rotatably supports a rear wheel W, and an upper that connects the knuckle 11 to a vehicle body so as to be movable up and down. A toe control actuator 14 (the telescopic actuator of the present invention) that connects the arm 12 and the lower arm 13, the knuckle 11 and the vehicle body to control the toe angle of the rear wheel W, and a damper with a suspension spring that cushions the vertical movement of the rear wheel W 15 etc.

  The distal ends of the upper arm 12 and the lower arm 13 whose base ends are connected to the vehicle body by rubber bush joints 16 and 17, respectively, are connected to the upper and lower portions of the knuckle 11 via ball joints 18 and 19, respectively. The toe control actuator 14 has a proximal end connected to the vehicle body via a rubber bush joint 20 and a distal end connected to the rear portion of the knuckle 11 via a rubber bush joint 21. The lower end of the suspension spring-equipped damper 15 whose upper end is fixed to the vehicle body (upper wall 22 of the suspension tower) is connected to the upper portion of the knuckle 11 via the rubber bush joint 23.

  When the toe control actuator 14 is driven to extend, the rear portion of the knuckle 11 is pushed outward in the vehicle width direction, the toe angle of the rear wheel W changes in the toe-in direction, and when the toe control actuator 14 is driven to contract, the rear portion of the knuckle 11 is Pulled inward in the width direction, the toe angle of the rear wheel W changes in the toe-out direction. Therefore, in addition to normal steering of the front wheels by operating the steering wheel, by controlling the toe angle of the rear wheel W according to the vehicle speed and the steering angle of the steering wheel, the straight running stability performance and turning performance of the vehicle can be improved. it can.

  Next, the structure of the toe control actuator 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toe control actuator 14 includes a first housing 31 integrally provided with a rubber bush joint 20 connected to the vehicle body side, and a rubber bush joint 21 connected to the knuckle 11 side. And a second housing 32 that supports the integrally provided output rod 33 so that the output rod 33 can extend and contract. The opposing portions of the first and second housings 31 and 32 are in a state where they are inlay-fitted through a seal member 34. The coupling flanges 31a and 32a are integrated by fastening with a plurality of bolts 35. A motor 36 with a brush serving as a drive source and a planetary gear mechanism 37 constituting a speed reducer are housed in the first housing 31, and an elastic coupling 38, a trapezoidal screw, and the like are housed in the second housing 32. And a feed screw mechanism 39 using the. These motor 36, planetary gear mechanism 37, elastic coupling 38 and feed screw mechanism 39 are arranged in series on the axis L of the toe control actuator 14.

  The outer shell of the motor 36 includes a yoke 40 formed in a cup shape having a flange 40a, and a bearing holder 42 abutted against the flange 40a of the yoke 40. The rotor 44 disposed in the annular stator 43 supported on the inner peripheral surface of the yoke 40 is rotatably supported at one end of a rotating shaft 45 by a ball bearing 46 provided at the bottom of the yoke 40 and at the other end. A ball bearing 47 provided on the holder 42 is rotatably supported. A brush 49 that is in sliding contact with a commutator 48 provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 45 is supported on the inner surface of the bearing holder 42. The conducting wire 50 extending from the brush 49 is drawn to the outside through a grommet 51 provided in the first housing 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the planetary gear mechanism 37 includes a ring gear 61 fitted and fixed to the opening of the first housing 31, and a sun gear 62 formed directly on the tip of the rotating shaft 45 of the motor 36. And a disk-like carrier 63 and a pinion pin 64, which is cantilevered by press-fitting into the carrier 63, are rotatably supported via ball bearings 65, and meshed simultaneously with the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62 3 It consists of a number of pinions 66. The planetary gear mechanism 37 decelerates and transmits the rotation of the sun gear 62 as an input member to the carrier 63 as an output member.

  A carrier 63 that is an output member of the planetary gear mechanism 37 is connected to an input flange 67 that is an input member of the feed screw mechanism 39 via an elastic coupling 38. The generally disc-shaped input flange 67 is rotatably supported with its outer peripheral portion sandwiched between a pair of thrust bearings 68 and 69. That is, an annular lock nut 70 is fastened to the inner peripheral surface of the second housing 32, and one thrust bearing 68 supports the thrust load between the second housing 32 and the input flange 67, and the other thrust bearing. 69 is arranged to support the thrust load between the lock nut 70 and the input flange 67.

  4 to 6, the elastic coupling 38 includes two outer elastic bushes 71 and 71 made of, for example, polyacetal, and one inner elastic bush 72 made of, for example, silicon rubber. Prepare. A cylindrical portion 71c extending in the axis L is integrally formed at the center of one outer elastic bush 71, and the inner elastic bush 72 and the other outer elastic bush 71 are fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 71c. .., 72 a... And 8 grooves 71 b... 72 b... Are formed at equal intervals on the outer peripheries of the outer elastic bushes 71 and 71 and the inner elastic bush 72. Also, the carrier 63 and the input flange 67 are formed. .., 67a... Protrude from the opposing surface so as to face each other in the direction of the axis L at equal intervals.

  The outer elastic bushings 71 and 71 and the inner elastic bushing 72 are overlapped so that the phases of the protrusions 71a... 72a are aligned, and every other four of the eight grooves 71b. .. Are engaged, and the four claws 67a of the input flange 67 are engaged with the remaining four of the eight grooves 71b.

  Therefore, the torque of the carrier 63 is input from the claws 63a of the carrier 63 to the outer elastic bushes 71, 71 and the inner elastic bush 72 via the projections 71a, 72a, and the claws 67a of the input flange 67. It is transmitted to the flange 67. At that time, the outer elastic bushings 71 and 71 and the inner elastic bushing 72 made of an elastic body absorb a minute axial deviation between the carrier 63 and the input flange 67, and absorb a sudden change in torque to make it smooth. Power transmission can be enabled.

  A pressurizing spring 73 made of a coil spring is accommodated in a cylindrical portion 71 c formed at the center of one outer elastic bush 71 of the elastic coupling 38, and one end of the pressurizing spring 73 is connected to the input flange 67. The other end abuts against the carrier 63 of the planetary gear mechanism 37. As a result, the tip ends of the three pinion pins 64... Fixed to the carrier 63 biased by the elastic force of the pressurizing spring 73 at intervals of 120 ° are side plate portions extending radially inward from the outer peripheral portion 61 a of the ring gear 61. It abuts slidably on 61b.

  At this time, since the thickness of the pinion 66 rotatably supported by the pinion pin 64 is slightly larger than the length of the pinion pin 64, the end surface of the pinion 66 is sandwiched between the carrier 63 and the side plate portion 61b of the ring gear 61. Thus, the mounting posture of the pinion 66 is controlled. Moreover, the portion where the pinions 66 contact the side plate portion 61b of the ring gear 61 is one step higher than the tooth width and has a smaller diameter. This is to reduce the friction torque generated in the contact portion by reducing the effective radius of the contact portion, so that an increase in the friction torque due to the pressurized load can be suppressed. Further, this is a design consideration for ensuring strength durability in order not to reduce the tooth width of the pinions 66 even if the contact portion is worn.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 8, the carrier holding member 74 in which three bolt holes 74b are formed in the annular main body 74a, and three bolt holes 61c in the annular outer peripheral portion 61a. The formed ring gear 61 is fastened together with three bolts 75 penetrating through the bolt holes 74b, 61c, and the like and screwed into screw holes 42a formed on the end face of the bearing holder 42. The carrier holding member 74 includes a flange portion 74c that surrounds the outer peripheral surface 63b of the carrier 63 via a slight gap α (see FIG. 8) on the inner periphery thereof. The gap α is filled with grease as a lubricating oil. The diameters of the bolt holes 74b of the carrier holding member 74 and the diameters of the bolt holes 61c of the ring gear 61 are slightly larger than the diameters of the bolts 75 passing therethrough.

  The carrier holding member 74 is formed by pressing a metal plate, and includes a flange portion 74c obtained by bending the outer periphery of the main body portion 74a into an L shape. Further, arc-shaped chamfers 63c and 63c (see FIG. 7) are applied to both ends of the outer peripheral surface 63b of the carrier 63 in the axis L direction.

  As is clear from FIG. 3, the first slide bearing 81 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate portion in the axis L direction of the second housing 32, and the end member 83 is screwed into the end portion in the axis L direction of the second housing 32. A second slide bearing 82 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the first output bearing 33, and the output rod 33 is slidably supported by the first and second slide bearings 81 and 82. The feed screw mechanism 39 for converting the rotational motion of the input flange 67 into the reciprocating motion of the output rod 33 is screwed onto the outer periphery of the male screw member 84 formed integrally with the input flange 67 and is hollow. A female screw member 85 fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the output rod 33 and fixed by a nut 86.

  An annular stopper 87 is provided on the outer periphery of the output rod 33, and this stopper 87 contacts the end of the end member 83 when the output rod 33 moves to the limit position in the extending direction. By providing the stopper 87, it is possible to reliably prevent the output rod 33 from falling off the second housing 32 even if the motor 36 runs away due to some abnormality.

  In order to prevent water and dust from entering the gap between the second housing 32 and the output rod 33, the boot 88 is formed in the annular step 32 b formed in the second housing 32 and the annular groove 33 a formed in the output rod 33. The both ends are fitted and fixed with bands 89 and 90, respectively. When the output rod 33 extends, the volume of the internal space of the first and second housings 31 and 32 increases, and conversely, when the output rod 33 contracts, the volume of the internal space of the first and second housings 31 and 32 decreases. The pressure in the internal space may fluctuate and hinder the smooth operation of the toe control actuator 14. However, since the internal space of the hollow output rod 33 and the internal space of the boot 88 communicate with each other via the vent hole 33 b formed in the output rod 33, the pressure fluctuation is alleviated by the deformation of the boot 88. The toe control actuator 14 can be smoothly operated.

  A stroke sensor 91 provided in the second housing 32 for detecting the stroke position of the output rod 33 and feeding it back to the control device when the toe control actuator 14 is expanded and contracted is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the output rod 33 with a bolt 92. And a sensor main body 95 that houses a detection unit 94 such as a coil that magnetically detects the position of the permanent magnet 93. In the second housing 32, an opening 32c extending in the direction of the axis L is formed so as to prevent the permanent magnet 93 from interfering with the movement of the output rod 33.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

  In FIG. 3, when the motor 36 is driven to change the toe angle of the rear wheel W, the rotation of the sun gear 62 fixed to the rotating shaft 45 of the motor 36 is decelerated and output to the carrier 63. The rotation of the carrier 63 is transmitted to the input flange 67 through the elastic coupling 38, and the male screw member 84 integral with the input flange 67 is rotated. When the male screw member 84 rotates, the female screw member 85 screwed to the male screw member 85 moves in the direction of the axis L, and the output rod 33 connected to the female screw member 85 protrudes and retracts from the second housing 32, whereby the toe control actuator 14 expands and contracts. Thus, the toe angle of the rear wheel W is changed.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 9, when the toe control actuator 14 extends, the toe control actuator 14 is strongly compressed in the direction of the axis L by the reaction force received by the rubber bush joints 20 and 21 at both ends thereof, and the first housing 31 and The second housing 32 may be curved in an arc shape. In this case, the axis of the motor 36 housed in the first housing 31 and the axis of the feed screw mechanism 39 housed in the second housing 32 are bent in a “<” shape, and the motor 36 and the feed screw mechanism 39 are not connected. When the carrier 63 of the arranged planetary gear mechanism 37 is inclined with respect to the ring gear 61, the pinions 66 supported by the carrier 63 are not correctly engaged with the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62. As a result, the carrier 63 is pushed out toward the feed screw mechanism 39 by the reaction force in the direction of the axis L that the pinions 66 receive from the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62, and vibration and noise may occur.

  However, according to the present embodiment, the carrier 63 is pushed back toward the side plate portion 61 b of the ring gear 61 by the elastic force of the pressurizing spring 73, and is rotated around the tips of the three pinion pins 64 provided on the carrier 61. The freely supported pinions 66 are pressed against the side plate portion 61b of the ring gear 61, so that the positional relationship between the pinions 66 and the side plate portion 61b of the ring gear 61 becomes parallel, and the meshing state of the pinion 66 and the ring gear 61 is good. (See FIG. 4). The reason is that even if one of the plurality of pinions 66... Floats from the side plate portion 61 b of the ring gear 61, the remaining two grounded pinions 66 and 66 are supported by the biasing force of the pressurizing spring 73. This is because a restoring moment acts on the carrier 63. Since the ring gear 61 and the motor 36 are supported in the same first housing 31, the positional relationship between the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62 is constant, and therefore the meshing state of the pinions 66... And the sun gear 62 is maintained well.

  As described above, even if the first housing 31 and the second housing 32 of the toe control actuator 14 are curved in an arc shape, the pinions 66 supported by the carrier 63 of the planetary gear mechanism 37 correctly mesh with the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62. , Vibration and noise can be prevented.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 9, when the axis of the motor 36 and the axis of the feed screw mechanism 39 are bent in a "<" shape, the pressurizing spring 73 is bent in an arc and displaced in the radial direction. The generated force cannot be effectively applied to the carrier 63. However, according to the present embodiment, since the pressurizing spring 73 is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 71c of one outer elastic bush 71 of the elastic coupling 38, the pressurizing spring 73 is guided by the cylindrical portion 71c. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of vibration and noise more effectively by preventing the bending in the radial direction and maintaining the linear shape and urging the carrier 63 with a stable elastic force. In addition, since the guide means of the pressurizing spring 73 is configured by the cylindrical portion 71c of the outer elastic bush 71 that accommodates the pressurizing spring 73, it is not necessary to provide special guide means, and the increase in the number of parts and cost is minimized. Can be suppressed.

  Further, since the pressurizing spring 73 is restrained from shifting the seating surface by its own urging force, the wear of the seating surface of the pressurizing spring 73 is suppressed, and the pressurization by winding and unwinding of the coil due to the displacement of the seating surface is suppressed. The increase and decrease of the amount can be suppressed, and the pressurizing spring 73 can be held in a stable state.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the carrier 63 from being inclined by the pressurizing spring 73, but since the urging force of the pressurizing spring 73 acts in the direction of the axis L, the pressurizing spring 73 prevents the carrier 63 from dropping due to its own weight. Therefore, the pinions 66 supported by the carrier 63 may not be properly engaged with the ring gear 61 or the sun gear 62. However, according to the present embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74c of the carrier holding member 74 fixed to the outer peripheral portion 61a of the ring gear 61 has a minute gap α in which the outer peripheral surface of the carrier 63 is filled with grease. Therefore, the carrier 63 can be centered by the carrier holding member 74 to prevent a drop due to its own weight.

  Since the ring gear 61 is fixed to the first housing 31 and the motor 36 (that is, the sun gear 62) is also fixed to the first housing 31, the coaxiality of the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62 is almost guaranteed. The carrier 63 is centered by the positional relationship of the pinions 66 meshing with the tooth surface of the ring gear 61 and the tooth surface of the sun gear 62. As a result, the pinions 66... Mesh with the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62 correctly and can prevent vibration and noise.

  As described above, the carrier 63 is centered without tilting by the cooperation of the pressurizing spring 73 and the carrier holding member 74, and the pinions 66 are correctly engaged with the ring gear 61 and the sun gear 62, so that noise is reduced and each gear is Durability is improved. Moreover, since the carrier holding member 74 prevents the carrier 63 from dropping due to its own weight, the carrier 63 can be prevented from being pushed in the direction of the axis L without increasing the biasing force of the pressurizing spring 73. And the increase in friction between the ring gear 61 and the side plate portion b of the ring gear 61 can be minimized.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when the carrier 63 is correctly centered, a minute gap α is formed between the outer peripheral surface 63b of the carrier 63 and the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74c of the carrier holding member 74. Has been. From this state, when the carrier 63 receives a bending moment or the like due to an external force and is displaced in the radial direction and approaches the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74c of the carrier holding member 74, the gap α is set as shown in FIG. Therefore, the thickness of the grease at that portion is reduced and the friction is increased. However, according to the present embodiment, when the carrier 63 rotates relative to the carrier holding member 74, the gap α decreases, and the oil pressure of the grease in the portion where the gap α decreases increases. As a result, even when the gap α decreases, the lubrication state between the carrier 63 and the carrier holding member 74 can be maintained satisfactorily, and problems such as an increase in friction and seizure at the contact portion do not occur.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the size of the gap α between the outer peripheral surface 63b of the carrier 63 and the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74c of the carrier holding member 74 is such that even if the carrier 63 is inclined, the outer peripheral surface 63b Since the chamfers 63c and 63c formed in the above are set so as not to contact the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74c, it is possible to prevent the carrier 63 and the carrier holding member 74 from coming into contact with each other and increase friction. it can.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7B, the flange portion 74c that bends in an L shape from the main body portion 74a of the carrier holding member 74 bends radially outward, thereby increasing the gap α and increasing the thickness of the grease. Increasing the thickness minimizes the increase in friction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7C, since the chamfers 63c and 63c are formed on the outer peripheral surface 63b of the carrier 63, the grease held in the chamfers 63c and 63c is inclined to the carrier 63. Along with this, by being drawn into the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74c of the carrier holding member 74, the thickness of the grease at the opposite portions of the carrier 63 and the carrier holding member 74 is secured, and the increase in friction is minimized.

  By the way, when the carrier holding member 74 is fixed to the ring gear 61 with the bolts 75..., The rotation center of the carrier 63 is such that the tooth surfaces of the pinions 66 supported rotatably on the carrier 63 are the tooth surfaces of the sun gear 62 and the ring gear 61. It is determined by meshing with the tooth surface. Therefore, it is difficult to geometrically set the rotation center of the carrier 63 of the planetary gear mechanism 37 with reference to the outer diameter of the sun gear 62 and the tooth tip circle of the ring gear 61. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the center of rotation of the carrier 63 based on the meshing of the tooth surfaces when the planetary gear mechanism 37 is operated. In the present embodiment, the center of rotation of the carrier 63 is determined by the following method, and the gap α is made uniform in the circumferential direction.

  First, the first housing 31 is fixed in a state where the axis L is vertical, and assembly is started. With the grease applied thickly on the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74 c of the carrier holding member 74, the flange portion 74 c is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 63 b of the carrier 63. At this time, grease may be applied to the outer peripheral surface 63b of the carrier 63, or grease may be applied to both. Subsequently, the three bolts 75 are passed through the bolt holes 74b of the carrier holding member 74 and the bolt holes 61c of the ring gear 61, and loosely screwed into the screw holes 42a of the bearing holder 42. The carrier holding member 74 is temporarily held. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8A, the carrier holding member 74 is in a state where it cannot be assembled. For example, the film thickness of the grease is thin at the top and thick at the bottom.

  Subsequently, when the motor 36 is driven in one direction and the carrier 63 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the second housing 32 side to the first housing 31 side, the carrier 63 and the carrier holding member 74 are caused by the shearing resistance of grease. Rotate together. By this rotation, torque transmission by the tooth surface is performed in the order of sun gear 62 → pinion 66... → ring gear 61, so that the rotation center of the carrier 63 is determined. Since the diameter of the bolt holes 74b ... of the carrier holding member 74 is larger than the diameter of the bolts 75 ..., centering of the carrier holding member 74 is not hindered, and the carrier holding member 74 is dragged by the rotation of the carrier 63 so that the carrier holding member 74 By rotating in the direction, the carrier holding member 74 stops at a position where the inner peripheral surface of the bolt hole 74b...

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 8B, the carrier 63 rotates relative to the carrier holding member 74, so that the film thickness of the grease becomes constant in the circumferential direction. As a result, the gap α between the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 74 c of the carrier holding member 74 and the outer peripheral surface 63 b of the carrier 63 becomes uniform in the circumferential direction, and the carrier holding member 74 is centered with respect to the carrier 63.

  Subsequently, the carrier holding member 74 and the ring gear 61 are fastened to the bearing holder 42 by finally fastening the three bolts 75. Since the bolts 75 are right-hand screws that are rotated clockwise and tightened, the torque applied to the carrier holding member 74 when the bolts 75 are screwed is the same clockwise as the rotation direction of the carrier 63. At this time, since the carrier holding member 74 is stopped at a position where the inner peripheral surface of the bolt hole 74b on the rotation direction delay side contacts the bolt 75 ..., the carrier holding member 74 is screwed when the bolt 75 ... is screwed. Even if a clockwise torque is applied to the carrier, the carrier holding member 74 is prevented from rotating by the bolt 75, so that the centering once completed does not shift.

  Further, since it is sufficient that the grease is generally applied to the entire circumference of the carrier 63 at the time of assembly, it is not always necessary to fill the entire circumference of the gap α during operation.

  As described above, it is possible to determine the rotation center of the carrier 63 with reference to the sun gear 62 by meshing the tooth surfaces of the gears, and the gap α between the carrier 63 and the carrier holding member 74 is set evenly. can do.

  With this setting, when the transmission torque of the planetary gear mechanism 37 is low and the transmission force of the tooth surface is low, the carrier holding member 74 causes the carrier 63 to be urged by its own weight and fall downward. It is possible to suppress the 63 from falling extremely and to secure a good meshing.

Second embodiment

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the carrier holding member 74 is fixed to the ring gear 61 and the bearing holder 42 with three bolts 75..., But in the second embodiment, the carrier holding member 74 and The three bolts 75 that are integrally formed penetrate the bolt holes 61c of the ring gear 61 and the bolt holes 42b of the bearing holder 42, and are fastened by three nuts 76.

  Accordingly, the carrier 63 is rotated by the motor 36 with the nuts 76 loosened to center the carrier holding member 74, and in this state, the nuts 76 are fastened to fix the carrier holding member 74 to the first embodiment. The same effect as that of the embodiment can be achieved.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, the use of the telescopic actuator of the present invention is not limited to the toe control actuator 14 described in the embodiment, and can be applied to any use.

  The pressurizing spring 73 is not limited to the coil spring of the embodiment, and any form can be adopted.

  In the embodiment, a trapezoidal screw is used for the feed screw mechanism 39, but other types of screws such as a ball screw can be used.

31 First housing (housing)
32 Second housing (housing)
33 output rod 36 motor 37 planetary gear mechanism 38 elastic coupling 39 feed screw mechanism 61 ring gear 62 sun gear 63 carrier 63b outer peripheral surface 66 pinion 71c cylindrical portion (guide means)
73 Pressurizing spring 74 Carrier holding member L Axis α Clearance

Claims (3)

A motor (36), a planetary gear mechanism (37), and a feed screw mechanism (39) are arranged in series on the axis (L) inside the housing (31, 32) that slidably supports the output rod (33). The rotation of the motor (36) is decelerated by the planetary gear mechanism (37) and output to the carrier (63), and the rotational motion of the carrier (63) is transmitted by the feed screw mechanism (39) to the output rod (39). 33) In a telescopic actuator that converts to a reciprocating motion,
A pressurizing spring (73) disposed between the feed screw mechanism (39) and the carrier (63) to generate an elastic force in the direction of the axis (L); and a radial direction of the pressurizing spring (73) A telescopic actuator comprising guide means (71c) for regulating displacement.   An elastic coupling (38) for accommodating the pressurizing spring (73) and connecting the carrier (63) and the feed screw mechanism (39) is provided, and the guide means (71c) is connected to the elastic coupling (38). The expansion / contraction actuator according to claim 1, wherein the expansion / contraction actuator is configured by a hollow portion that is formed inside and extends in the axis (L) direction.   The planetary gear mechanism (37) is rotatably supported by a fixed ring gear (61), a sun gear (62) connected to the motor (36), the carrier (63), and the carrier (63). And a pinion (66) meshing with the ring gear (61) and the sun gear (62), and a fixed annular carrier holding member (74), the inner peripheral surface of the carrier holding member (74) and the The telescopic actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a gap (α) filled with grease is interposed between the outer peripheral surface (63b) of the carrier (63).

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